Editorial: Adams recall falls short, but provides victories

In the recall drive against Supervisor Susan Adams, even proponents of the unsuccessful petition drive can claim victory.

Certainly, their failure to come up with the 6,368 signatures needed to qualify their petition for a recall election was a victory for Adams. It also was a victory for taxpayers, who dodged a special election that was estimated to cost the public as much as $250,000.

That sum compelled even Adams' political foes to oppose the recall. They rightly questioned the cost of holding a special recall election just a month or two before Adams, a three-term incumbent, is scheduled to stand for re-election.

While the cost and timing likely took its toll on voter support for the recall, proponents of the initiative ultimately got what they wanted. The recall was sparked by Adams' strong support for building low-cost housing as part of the redevelopment of the Marinwood Plaza shopping center.

The number of units proposed in the development and the percentage of the project that would be low-rent apartments drew objections from some local residents, who claimed the housing would be too dense and be a drain on public schools and other public services.

They said they weren't being heard and decided a recall petition would get some attention.

We agree with Adams that the Marinwood site is an opportunity to build workforce housing, but plans had advanced and changed without keeping local residents informed and involved in changes.

Some residents felt they had no local control over the size and content of the shopping center's plan.

As one Adams critic put it, they launched the recall as a "shot across the bow" to get the supervisor's attention.

It worked. While the recall petition was being circulated, at Adams' urging the county dropped the Marinwood Plaza as one of the county's regional "Priority Development Areas," sites designated for higher density for affordable housing because of their proximity to transit and Highway 101.

We hope we have not entered an era of politics by recall.

Adams even stirred controversy with her campaign to urge voters not to sign the recall petitions. She was criticized for sending out a mailer that made it sound as if people who opposed her recall were "supporters." In the nuance of politics, they opposed the recall; they aren't necessarily backing her re-election.

But the mailer could be construed that they were supporters of the Friends of Susan Adams for Supervisor 2014, the official author of the mailer.

Adams apologized and called it a "misunderstanding." The mailer was misleading and Adams' campaign should have been much more exact.

Adams fought off a recall, taxpayers saved $250,000 for an unnecessary and unwarranted election and recall proponents won what they wanted, removing Marinwood as one of the county's regional PDA sites.

It remains to be seen how the dust-up ultimately affects the Marinwood Plaza redevelopment plan, including affordable housing, and Adams' promise to build it there in order keep more of the St. Vincent's/Silveira tract across the freeway undeveloped.